Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The blog has been a bit MIA for the past couple of months. Some things have come up and priorities/interests have shifted. One of the most recent and major changes is that my husband and I bought a house. Granted, it's been about 7 months since that happened, BUT I haven't really had a chance to write about it.

It has been a very exciting and sometimes daunting new journey in our lives. Going from apartment living to owning a house is a big leap. You now have to furnish that larger space, decorate, mow, garden, clean (about an hour longer than the apartment took), and pay a mortgage. We are now responsible for this big chunk of property. But at the end of the day, I can look at it and think, "wow, that's ours" and that's a damn good feeling.

Through the process of decorating and furnishing a home, you quickly learn the difference in how men and women view owning a house. My husband is constantly asking me questions like "why are we buying a dining room table that we're never going to eat at? why are you buying a $15 bouquet to put in a vase that's just going to die in a week? why do we have to have candles for every room?" While I'm quickly learning that I can't furnish the entire house in a week, I do feel a sense of accomplishment in finding the perfect throw pillows for the couch upstairs...or the set of pictures that coordinates perfectly with those throw pillows. But now, I'm to the point of wanting to hire a decorator because I'm tired of trying to make things cute and coordinated. Any volunteers?

Oh, and I'm pretty sure I've helped Target stay in business throughout this whole process. So, you're welcome for that Target!

Here are some items I've purchased for the house (most are pre-decorated and instagrammed so not the best quality) and where I got them:

Target: Threshold Avington 5-shelf bookcase in Espresso

Target: All candles purchased from Target. The sweet sangria on the bottom right is very fragrant and fills up the entire room with the smell.

Target: Threshold Grid Shower Curtain in Blue

Target: Threshold Windham Accent Cabinet in red (comes in several other colors as well). This is one of my most treasured pieces. Adds a great pop of color to any room.

Ashley Furniture: Counter height dining table. Dark wood and has a place for wine storage underneath

Bed, Bath, and Beyond: I think that is where I got this vase centerpiece. It has a wrought iron base surrounded by 6 votive sized candle holders.

As you can see, Target is my go-to for decorating ideas. Do you have any staple pieces in your home or apartment that you would recommend?